Truth to Power

Here’s to Chuck Hagel, senior Senator from Nebraska, a Republican, for having the guts to buck his party line on the recent Iraq resolution. Senator Hagel blasts all his colleagues in this wonderful clip.


Timothy “Chuck” Hagel has recently shown a rare spirit in Washington, putting the lives of Americans and the truth above his own political salvation and false nuances of the sort both parties have become so well versed in. Senator Hagel, sir, I salute you.

Five Minutes to Midnight

Today scientists will update the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock, a symbolic construct designed to reflect how close the world perches to total annihilation. Perhaps it’s ironic that, 60 years after the Clock’s conception in 1947, we are right back to where we started … a mere 5 minutes to midnight. The clock has changed times over the years, but we’re almost as close as we’ve ever gotten.

No great statement or moral here. Only the hope that, together, the people of the world can reverse the course we’re on. Maybe we can buy a few minutes more.

Talking Points

On this cold and growing ever colder January evening, I’m steeling myself for the President’s speech tonight. At this point, tuning in is like waiting to get struck with a cream pie – it’s like a bad joke you can’t help but turn away from. We’ve been promised a rhetoric-free speech, but...

I’ve decided to keep a quick tally and keep score:

• Uses of the word “victory” = –5 points per instance
• Uses of the word “success” = –5 points per instance
• Uses of the word combination “victory/success in Iraq” = –5 points points per instance
• Reminders of the danger we face if we leave “without achieving victory” = –10 points*

• Admitting mistakes made already in Iraq = +5 points per mistake (+10 if he admits personal responsibility)**
• Stating specific goals or strategies, beyond the obvious (improving Bagdad security, etc.) = +10 points
• Stating promise to end war before he leaves office = +20 points

*It's a valid point that leaving Iraq in the throes of a civil war is dangerous, but the neocons should have thought about that when they hatched this war.
**I expect that, quite early in this speech, we’ll hear a frightfully rare admission of mistakes made from Bush — it’s required to build any credibility whatsoever for the speech — so I’m basically starting him out ahead here.

A negative score and he fails. A positive score he passes and I’ll score it a good speech (never mind the idea that a surge will actually do anything, but that's a subject for another post). I’ll keep score and meet you back here later.


Alright, I'm back ... and here's the score:

• Uses of the word “victory” = –5 x1 = -5
• Uses of the word “success” = –5 x1 = -5
• Uses of the word combination “victory/success in Iraq” = Ouch! –5 x5 = -25
• Reminders of the danger we face –10 x5 = -50

• Admitting mistakes made already in Iraq = (A big hit for Bush here!) +10 x1 = 10
• Stating specific goals or strategies = (general goals mentioned only, but I'm feeling charitable) +10 x1 = 10
• Stating promise to end war = +20 x0 = 0

Grand Total = –55 points
We'll give this speech a score of lame.

Sorry folks.
It's worth noting that the name of this new White House initiative has been titled "A New Way Forward"; the name of the last plan was simply "The Way Forward" ... what's next? Let's see, Yet Another Way Forward, A Way Forward That's a Bit Saner, A Way Forward After I'm Outta Here, the mind boggles at the possibilities.